Man Has Near-Death Excursion While Climbing Mount Everest — Why His Story Is Now Going Viral (Exclusive)

Dave Carter sumitted Mount Everest in a 1997 expedition, a climb he tells PEOPLE he 'didn't talk about a lot' until his daughter Vyla began asking him about it

A father's successful summit of the world's highest peak has piqued the interest of his daughter years later.

Dave Carter, 61, is an Indiana native who achieved his goal of reaching the top of Mount Everest in May 1997, a risky expedition filled with near-death experiences and awe-inspiring memories after his two unsuccessful attempts in the 1990s.

Nearly two decades later, Vyla Carter — his 24-year-old daughter, who wasn't born at the time of her father's incredulous feat — decided to chronicle Dave's journey on TikTok through a series called, "My Dad Climbed Everest and I Have Questions."

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Vyla opened up about why she wants to share her father's story on the platform. Dave, too, reflected on his scale, despite it being "really hard" at times and nearly costing him his life.

Related: British Climber and Guide Missing on Mount Everest as Death of Another Mountaineer Confirmed

"Growing up it was always a part of my life and it seemed normal to me," Vyla tells PEOPLE of learning about her dad's expedition as a kid. A self-described "curious person," her TikTok series was born out of her desire to "get to know more about my dad," she says.

Meanwhile, Dave tells PEOPLE that he "didn't talk about it a lot" until his daughter started asking him in-depth questions about his experiences on the mountain. Prior, he shared his gained knowledge in a different way, through guiding interested mountaineers on treks of their own.

"I would go to Nepal quite a bit, usually about every other year when Vyla was growing up," Dave says. "I would usually take people, friends and people from Indiana especially because I wanted them to experience the mountains, but especially the culture of Nepal."

Over his many years of travel, Dave has become infatuated with the country's culture and has formed close relationships with locals.

"The guiding years of my life were some of the best years of my life," he says. "That was the most enjoyable job to this day I've ever had."

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In addition to the Q&A sessions Vyla leads with her dad on TikTok, she also shares video compilations of the plethora of files and materials he used on his trek. Some of the content is heavier, including mountaineering books with sections that detail her dad's life-threatening descent and news clippings of other climbers’ obituaries.

"I think that's a big part of Everest in general. You always hear about climbers getting hurt or dying — and just knowing my dad and hearing about his Everest experience over my lifetime, it seems like that was a huge part of his life," Vyla explains of why she decided to share those clips.

"It's an important aspect to know if you're listening to his story about Everest because it's a defining moment."

Related: American Man, 69, Dies While Climbing Mount Everest 'After He Began to Feel Unwell' At Camp

While Dave admits it's "really hard to verbalize everything" when looking back on his near-suffocation coming down from the mountain, he turns his focus to the heroic efforts that led to his survival instead.

"The big story is how everybody pulled together the team and basically saved my life," he says. "If it wasn't for [mountaineer] Ed Viesturs down with me to camp three and giving me the Heimlich maneuver throughout the evening on and off and also for the other teammates ... it was a team effort for my survival."

Dave completed his Mount Everest expedition with pros Viesturs, David Breashears, Pete Athans and Guy Cotter on May 23, 1997. "Those guys were professional, they were at top of their game," he says.

Related: Chicago Teen Makes History as Youngest American Woman to Reach the Top of Mt. Everest

"It was very intimidating to be with those guys and all I could think about was, 'Hey Dave, learn from these guys as much as you can, but don't screw up and don't make a mistake,' " he recalls of what he'd say to himself.

"But man, the group of guys was wonderful to be with," Dave continues. "I would always listen to what they were saying about the mountain, just observed and learned from their past climbing history. They were great teachers."

As for whether Vyla — a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder and an avid outdoors lover — has interest in sumitting Mount Everest herself one day?

"Absolutely not," she says. "There's a lot of reasons I like being outdoors, but not to that extreme ... I kind of like to be in more isolated areas."

Related: Sherpa Makes 'Almost Impossible' Rescue to Save Stranded Climber from Mount Everest’s 'Death Zone'

She has been to Everest Base Camp, though, alongside her father.

"It's always a great experience to spend time together," she says of using climbing and the outdoors as a way of bonding with her dad.

Should Vyla change her mind and want to conquer Everest in the future, she'd have her dad's support. "I think mountain climbing, mountaineering in general, it's a great sport," says Dave.

Still, he doesn't fail to acknowledge that it is, in fact, "inherently dangerous," though he adds that "if you're prepared and you have the right mindset, you can manage those risks in a way."

"Climbing was a great sport and opportunity for me," Dave adds. "It opened up a lot of worldviews and also a lot of friendships."

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